Voila, 15 minutes later, six ounces of salmon rub and one cup of chocolate pecan butter
‘Tis the season to give gifts, even small ones. I give a fair number of edible gifts to friends, but most of them take weeks or months to prepare. For example, we make around 3 gallons of maple syrup every spring and only use one gallon or so a year ourselves. We give the rest away, mostly to close friends and family. We also grow extra garlic to give to people, although it is not high enough quality by late December to give away for the Chrismukah holidays. So when Christina told From Scratch Club contributors that she wanted posts on edible gifts, I moaned and groaned and gnashed my teeth. Then I remembered that I have friends so I asked them what they make for edible gifts. Two of them ended up giving me recipes for edible gifts that take under 20 minutes to make. Bingo. Edible gifts without months of preparation! Who knew?
One of these gifts is savory and healthful, the other is slightly sweet and mildly sinful. Both are awesome. If you are in a last minute bind for an edible gift, you can make one of these recipes in less time than it takes to wash and dry your hair. Packaging is up to you, since packaging is not my strong point. Growing garlic and writing legal briefs is my strong point.
Without further ado, first the savory recipe…
therein lies the rub
RECIPE: Lin’s Salmon Rub
(good for salmon or other thick pieces of fish)
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground pepper
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin (I omitted this because I don’t like cumin)
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds (grind in mortar)
METHODS: Combine all, sprinkle on salmon or other fish before cooking to your preference. Makes about 6 ounces.
Fennel seeds, being ground in my metate
Then the slightly sweet recipe….
Chocolate pecan butter on a homemade cracker
RECIPE: Joy’s Dark Chocolate Pecan Butter
INGREDIENTS
2 cups toasted pecans
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil (other oil may work, but coconut oil is a solid at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
METHODS
- Toast two cups of raw pecans for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Don’t let them burn.
- Process the nuts in a food processor for about five minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Put the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small pot and partially melt over low heat for a minute or two.
- Scrape the partially melted chocolate into the food processor bowl with the pecans and process for about a minute.
- Add the salt and process for another minute.
- Scoop into a container and store in the refrigerator. Makes about one cup.
This blog is amazing! I am totally going to make homemade gifts in mason jars for the holidays this year
PS where did you purchase your metate, I have been wanting one for a while!!
I bought my metate in Guatemala 35 years ago and brought it home in my suitcase BUT I bought one more recently on line for a friend. They call them molcajetes on line I think but I just use the word I learned. There is one at Williams Sonoma but I bet you can find them cheaper through a Mexican food supplier.
Awesome, thanks! I will have to look into it!
You are on fire with great homemade gift ideas – love it!!! Have a Great One:)
“I got a head full of ideas and they’re driving me insane”
The nut butter recipe was in gift form by a young Mikaela M of Saratoga. I’m not the originator but loved it enough to want to share it. Thanks for sharing it further!
are you kidding? Thank you, and Mikaela, for rescuing me.
Maple syrup or garlic sound like fabulous gifts to me!!! How can you NOT like cumin
(I love it).
I liked cumin until everyone started overwhelming beans with it. Refried beans should NOT have cumin in them. And yes, maple syrup and garlic are really good gifts. Maple syrup is the gold standard of home made gifts in fact. At least coming from our household. Good homemade wine would be nice too, but I haven’t achieved that yet.